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DIY home renovation has steadily grown in popularity, and the advent of DIY TV shows and YouTube channels filled with tips and tutorials has set many an imagination on fire. The world of DIY has grown closer to home for millions of people who can save a significant amount of money by doing it themselves.  In this post, we consider the realities of DIY Home Renovations.

However exciting and romantic the notion of carrying out a DIY home renovation is, it can wind up being a disaster of epic proportions if you attempt important elements of the project that are outside your own limits of achievability.

Make a Detailed Plan
Planning is always the most important step in any home renovation project, and a comprehensive plan should be done right at the beginning before any wallpaper is stripped or a single brick is removed.

Be Realistic about Your DIY Skills
This is a critical step in the planning process in terms of setting your budget to allow for those gaps in your skill set. As a general rule, unless you are qualified and experienced in any of the following areas, you should not attempt to carry out DIY home renovation projects on:

Electrical

Plumbing

Structural modifications

Roofing

Removal of hazardous materials

There are strict building regulations in place, which only a registered and experienced trades-person knows, that maintain critical safety standards across the entire spectrum of the project. An attempt at any critical aspect of a major DIY home renovation can result in severe financial penalties if contractors need to be called in to rectify mistakes, so the apparent savings for certain works can be a false economy. Big mistakes can also have enormous safety implications and lead to property damage.

Get the job done properly the first time and instead make savings in other areas that you can comfortably take on yourself such as project management or the provision of labor, for example, taking down non-supporting walls, removing waste from the site, stripping down woodwork, preparing interior walls, decorating and painting, or laying insulation.

By realizing your limits in DIY home renovation, and taking a realistic view of the overall project, you can save both time and money while still taking a great deal of satisfaction from your endeavors.

Realities of DIY Home Renovations